Unexpected passanger

The rest of the day went surprisingly fast and before long, it was the end of last period. Blake went out to his car with Ethan and Nick, when they got to it they talked for a bit before Nick joked,

“Well, it was nice knowing you Blake, soon enough Vivi will kill you”

“Yeah, yeah” Blake responded as he got in his car.

He closed the door and before he had time to turn the key, Riley ran to his car and motioned for him to open the door.

Confused, Blake opened the door and asked what happened.

“Well, Delilah was supposed to be my ride home today, but she had an important thing to take care of, would you mind giving me a ride?” she asked hopefully.

Blake looked into the volleyball captain’s blue eyes, while considering it.

“Sure, hop in” he finally said.

“Oh my god, thank you Blake!” she responded, giving him a quick hug before she went to the copilot’s seat.

As he turned the keys, he asked, “Where’s your house?”

“Just head to Mariner’s Hollow and I’ll tell you where to go there” she said

“Alright” he replied as he turned the keys.

Mariner’s Hollow is the middle class neighborhood in Resin Grove. It has nice lawns, and a nice park that runs on both sides of the river separating Ridgewood Heights from Mariner’s Hollow and Cotton Row.

They sat silently. The only sound in the car were the speakers playing some 80s funky music.

As Blake neared the bridge that marked the entrance to Mariner’s Hollow, he got a message.

“Who is it from?” He asked.

“It’s from a group chat. Mateo asked if all of you are down to go to the park and play some basketball.” she said, reading the message.

When he stopped at a red light, Blake grabbed his phone and messaged back “I'm down, I’m near the park”

The rest of the members of the group chat answered in similar fashion, only most of them were at their houses, except Mateo, who was at the park already.

“Hey,” Blake said, suddenly getting an idea, “why don’t you come with us?”

“Me? Are you asking me on a date?!” She responded her eyes widening at his suggestion.

“Whoa! It’s just a chill hang out” He exclaimed, but suddenly a smirk appeared on his face, “although, take it as you want.”

That earned him a laugh from her. “Alright, you convinced me, let me just text my mom, to tell her that I’ll get home late.” After a few seconds her phone buzzed. “She says it’s okay.”she informed him “Oh, and it’s a date” she added with a wink

“Alright then, change of plans then.” Blake said. He took the next right turn heading for the park. He found a spot not too far away. “Alright, let’s go,” he said, getting out and then walking to the other side of the car and opening the door for Riley.

Blake closed the car door behind her with a casual “there you go.”

Riley gave him a look. “Are you always this gentlemanly, or is it just because I’m in volleyball shorts?”

Blake smirked. “I’m just trying to soften the trauma of being stranded.”

“Mm. Mission accomplished,” she said, falling into step beside him. “Though I still think you owe me a smoothie.”

“Wow. So dramatic.”

“You knew this about me.”

They walked past a row of trees, the sounds of the neighborhood fading into the quiet hum of the park. The sun was still up, casting long, lazy shadows across the grass.

“So, are you actually good at basketball,” she asked, “or is this one of those things where everyone just pretends because they’re tall?”

Blake chuckled. “I’m not just tall, thank you. I’ve got range.”

“Mmhmm. And I’m the queen of England.”

“You don’t believe me?”

“I don’t believe anything until I see it. But I will be judging harshly from the bleachers.”

“Oh, so you’re not playing?”

She laughed. “God, no. I’m not breaking an ankle trying to impress a bunch of sweaty boys. I’m here to spectate, maybe offer pointed commentary.”

Blake raised an eyebrow. “Trash talk or support?”

“Why not both?” she said with a grin. “Depends on how you’re playing.”

He glanced at her. “So basically, if I suck, you roast me?”

“Exactly. Consider me your personal Greek chorus — only cuter.”

He shook his head, laughing. “Unbelievable.”

“Also,” she added, nudging his arm with hers, “don’t embarrass yourself in front of me. I’ve got a long memory.”

Blake smirked. “Good. Gives me a reason to hit every shot.”

They turned onto the cracked concrete path leading to the courts, the faint sound of bouncing basketballs and voices growing louder.

“You know,” Riley said, as they got closer, “I kinda like this vibe. It’s... low-stakes. Chill.”

Blake nodded. “Yeah. Sometimes you just need to play without all the pressure. No coaches, no whistles.”

“No interviews, no fans.”

“No spotlight,” Blake agreed.

Riley grinned. “Except me.”

He glanced at her. “Right. My toughest critic.”

“Don’t worry,” she said, mock-serious. “I brought imaginary scorecards.”

They reached the court, and Blake spotted Mateo and Darren already shooting around.

“Well,” Riley said, stretching her arms overhead, “go on, superstar. Impress me.”

Blake rolled his eyes, but he was smiling as he stepped onto the court.

“Hey Blake,” the boys said.

“Hey, Riley,” Darren greeted her “fancy seeing you here”

“Hey guys,” Riley smiled, “thought I’d drop by, Blake did ask me to go on a date” she said as she pecked the guy in question on the cheek. That made Darren and Mateo’s jaws drop.

“Whoa! He did?!” was their response

“Of course” she said while smirking at Blake.

Blake took it in stride and put a hand around her, bringing her close. “What, you guys, scared of embarrassing yourself in front of a pretty girl?”

“Nah, just surprised,” Mateo responded. “Besides, I’m not an asshole, if she's on a date with you, I ain’t going near her.”

“I know, I’m just joking” Blake answered.

Riley took a seat on the bleachers, while everyone arrived. Five minutes later, everyone was there. Blake, Darren, Levi, Mateo and Jordan from the team, and additionally, Nick, Riley, Ethan and his sister Lena.